This past Wed. I went to the downtown L.A. farmer’s market during lunch to buy some strawberries. The season is almost over, and I felt like we haven’t fully taken advantage of it. So I picked up 3 baskets for $5 from Oxnard and they were really good. On Wed. and Thurs. nights, D had sliced strawberries with vanilla ice cream, and he was waxing poetic over how delicious it was.

Then, last night D and I went to the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival. I read somewhere that it is the second largest community-organized outdoor festival west of the Mississippi (the largest is the Portland Rose Festival). It was kind of a pain to find parking, but we eventually found a spot (park in the La Verne/Acacia college parking lot).

There is no entry fee, and right when we entered we came upon a large strawberry shortcake. Miss Garden Grove and here entourage were passing out small pieces, also free (only on the first night).

As you can see, it is actually made up of separate cakes, arranged as one. I thought it would be one huge one, but I guess that would be a lot more work. Anyway, the cake itself was pretty tasty, but the whole strawberry on my piece was kind of underripe.

There were a lot of unsafe-looking carnival rides and booths with people selling some weird stuff (anyone want a wax form of your hand?) D signed up to win this Mazda 5:

I told him he probably wasn’t allowed to win, but he pointed out that it didn’t look like it was a Mazda-sponsored contest, so he filled out the card.

The food options were kind of limited. D had a hot dog and a really watery soda ($5). I had corn on the cob with chili powder/parmesan ($2). They had huge strawberry shortcakes, but since we already had a small piece of one, it didn’t make sense to buy another. D claimed he had never had a funnel cake before. Failing to see how this was possible, we bought one with strawberry glaze ($5):

It was nice and hot, but D thought there should have been more fresh strawberries on it. (He’s becoming such a foodie!) I think this booth supported the Kiwanis club. The other food we bought also supported community organizations, so I didn’t feel bad paying the higher prices.

Overall, it was really crowded. I thought they could do a better job of promoting the whole strawberry theme. If you didn’t know it was a strawberry festival, you probably wouldn’t have been able to tell it apart from any other fair/carnival. So, this will probably be a one time thing for us, but I would like to go back to the street we passed which is supposed to be like “Old Town Garden Grove”, or something like that.

Yesterday D was getting cabin fever, so we took a trip to Crystal Cove, which is North of Laguna Beach and South of Newport. We actually ended up stopping by in Laguna first. There were a lot of people out and about.

Then we drove up PCH to Crystal Cove. I wanted to show D the area where my sis and bro-in-law got married but we didn’t see it. We took the trail down to the beach and had a nice stroll. There were hardly any other people around.

There a lot of shells everywhere but there are signs that it is against the law to collect any. This lobster tail? totally grossed me out:

We walked about a mile to this small group of old cottages that have been renovated and will soon be rented out.

Our goal was to go the Crystal Cove Shake Shack (which Rachael Ray visited for $40 a Day). However, there was no access to PCH from the beach in that area. There was a wooden staircase, but both the top and bottom were fenced off (you could still climb through the fence). We saw another couple come down the stairs and I was tempted to do it, but D half-joked “What would Jesus do?” We decided to just walk the mile back to our car and then drive.
The Shake Shack has a lot of different types of shakes but we settled on sharing a peach shake ($3.50). I wanted to try the date shake, but since we will soon be making a trip to Hadley’s, I figured I could just get it there. We sat on a little bench facing the ocean, with PCH behind us. Tip: there was a cop on a motorcycle who was nabbing all of these speedsters on that stretch of PCH, so watch out.

Paradise Pier

California Screamin’: This was the first and last ride we went on. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture. It was closed the first time we came here, so I was relieved it was running this time. This is a really good roller coaster. In the beginning, you feel like you’re being shot out of a cannon! From there, it is an unbelievably smooth ride and even the upside down part is not bad.

Sun Wheel:

We chose to go on the non-sliding part because that made me sick last time (and the wait is shorter). The thing is so big that they only let you go on one full rotation before starting to unload/load again. We only went on it because we had time to kill before using our Fast Pass for California Screamin’.

Mulholland Madness:
Unlike California Screamin’, this ride is so jerky! It pretty much gives you whiplash.

Orange Stinger:


I’m not sure why, but this ride is more fun than it looks. I read somewhere that you’re supposed to smell oranges, but I never have. It was difficult to get a good shot of D while we were both swingin’ around.

King Triton’s Carousel:

Another ride we went on just to kill time…and the line was really short. Remember when you used to go on a merry-go-round, and then wave at your parents every time you passed them?

Golden State

Soarin’ Over California. D gave a detailed description of this in a previous post. The second time we rode it he made a conscious effort to remember every city so that he could list them on our blog.

Redwood Creek Challenge Trail:

The rope bridges were fun. They had a zip line, but only for kids.

Seasons of the Vine:

Disney’s version of Napa. We watched the short movie about Robert Mondavi, mainly because we were tired.

Pacific Wharf:

This is where the Mission Tortilla factory and the Boudin factory tours are located.

The only major attraction we skipped was Grizzly River Run. It was overcast and we did not feel like walking around with wet clothes.

Disney’s version of Yosemite. Can you see the rock shaped like a bear’s head on the upper left?

One thing that I find funny about amusement parks is seeing people buy things that they will never again use. OK, I can see how some would think the mickey ears are cute (especially the golden ones), but when are you ever going to wear them again, unless you happen to be going to Disneyland? Also, we saw three year old girls running around in Cinderella costumes that I later saw cost $55! D kept on joking he wanted Goofy “hands” and a Goofy hat, so I had him try one on, just for kicks:

Our chosen souvenir? A “D (+) L” keychain for our mail key!

So, that’s the end of our Disney posts. D read that Disney is considering building a third park, which would be crazy. I can’t believe how much it has changed since I worked there. The end.

Next up is the agricultural-themed “a bug’s land”.

The only notable attraction here is “It’s Tough to be a Bug!” another 3D movie, but this one has more “extras” than the Muppet movie. The rest of the rides are geared toward really small kids, kind of like Fantasyland.

Last week’s long run was…
5 miles in 1 hour.

This week’s best short run so far was…
3.93 miles is 45 minutes.

Next up…
Increase incline on the treadmill and Cypress Community College track.

Like Disneyland, CA Adventure is split into different “lands”. I will start with the Hollywood Pictures Backlot. Here is D getting “lost”:

The best ride here is the Tower of Terror:

We waited in line behind this REALLY talkative boy and his mom. He was so excited and kept trying to tell us what it was like. His mom told him that he shouldn’t ruin the surprise, so then he tried to throw us off track and said it was “like a swing.” Anyway, this ride wasn’t here the last time we went, so I’m glad we were able to experience it.

One of the longest waits we had was for the new Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! ride. The line was actually only about 30 minutes, but still not really worth it. This ride replaced the Superstar Limo ride, which was also a bust. As one person pointed out, they just made the limos look like taxis.

Another new attraction is Turtle Talk with Crush (from Finding Nemo). There was an animated Crush on a screen and he talked interactively with the audience. This was kinda cool, but he said “Dude” even more than D! Cha!

The Muppet Vision 3D show is fun, better than Honey I shrunk the Audience. The best part is being around people that have never been and seeing/hearing their reactions.

In the afternoon we watched Disney’s Aladdin–A Musical Spectacular in the Hyperion Theater. I was surprised at how nice the theater was. I suggest lining up for the Mezzanine level so you’re at eye level with Aladdin and Jasmine on their “magic carpet ride”. Aladdin was this Asian guy, so that was kind of weird. It was the genie that stole the show, though. He got some genuine laughs out of D & me. The whole thing lasted about an hour, so it was a good time to rest our feet.

This time D and I only spent about 12.5 on the Disney premises (mainly because CA Adventure was only open from 10-10. Of course, that was plenty of time to build up an appetite.

Lunch:

This is a Ceasar Sausage from “Award Wieners”. It is an italian sausage with caesar salad on top! I think D would have rather had the normal chili dog, but this provided us with some veggies–ha.

One of the attractions is a Boudin factory. After watching a short video, you get to see the bakers go through the process. The bread looked SO good, so of course, when the tour was over, we had to head on over to the adjoining cafe.

We split this broccoli cheese soup in a bread bowl from the Pacific Wharf Cafe. This was my favorite of the day! We eyed the cream puffs, but decided to hold off.

Dinner:

Here is our Atkins-friendly dinner: a ginormous turkey leg. It was bigger than it appears in the picture and pretty much filled both of us up.

Later we took the Mission tortilla factory tour.

At the end of the tour they gave us each a freshly made tortilla. We contemplated splitting something from the Cocina Cucamonga Mexican grill, but instead opted for this:

The cream puff from the Pacific Wharf Cafe. They really piled on the whipped cream. (I still have to try Beard Papa’s).

So, that’s what we ate. D “had” to buy a coke in the afternoon because he had a headache and he claims that it helps him feel better. He wanted another mickey ice cream bar but he restrained himself this time.

This past weekend we went to California Adventure to use up the second half of our 2fer ticket. L & I went on our favorite Disneyland ride–Soarin’ over California. It is great that your feet dangle and the screen is huge. The geography of CA is great. The places that you see are the following….
Napa
San Francisco
Monterey
Lake Tahoe
Redwood Creek
Yosemite
Malibu
Los Angeles
San Diego
Palm Springs
Anza Borrego
Camarillo
In regards, to NorCal…
I have been to Napa, Monterrey and Lake Tahoe quite a bit on family vacations. I also went to school and worked in the bay area so I saw S.F. a good amount. And I have been to Yosemite, however, I would like to visit that area a little more. However, I have never been to Redwood National Park. I am trying to persuade Lauren to visit that sometime soon. However, it is north of S.F. It is close to Eureka.

In regards, to SoCal…
I have been to Malibu, well more like Santa Monica, and hiked in Malibu hills. And I worked in L.A. I have visited San Diego, however would like to see more of it. However, I have never been to Palm Springs, but I am going in April! And I have not been to Anza Borrego. It seems interesting, but not quite as interesting as Redwood National Park. I have been to Camarillo outlets, however and am not interested in seeing Orange Groves.

OK, I’ve been a slacker on finishing the Disneyland posts. Besides the rides, I really enjoyed the Special 50th Anniversary firework show (we can hear it every night from our condo, but we’re usually sleeping by then) and Fantasmic! Here are some more random pics from our trip:

This castle seemed smaller than I remember.

Did you know that Disneyland has a petting zoo? It’s pretty small, though.

D playing around at Tarzan’s treehouse.

The following rankings were compiled by D. The comments are mine.

1. Indiana Jones
I was surprised D picked this as number 1. He didn’t seem too excited about it when we were done with the ride, but he says he likes the theming of the whole ride.

2. Pirates of the Caribbean
Apparently this ride will be closing soon so they can make it like the Johnny Depp version. It was nice to have one last look.

3. Thunder Mountain

This one was more fun than I remembered. It was the only ride we went on twice: once during the day and once at night.

4. Splash Mountain
Love the drop at the end.

5. Space Mountain
They redid this ride last year. I didn’t really like the music playing in the headrests, but it was fun.

6. Matterhorn

I liked the coats that the workers at this ride had on–cute toggles.

7. Buzz Lightyear – Astro Blasters
You get to shoot at targets with guns that emit red lasers…D had a much higher score than me, but we were both in Level 3 (out of 10!)

8. Tom Sawyer Island

Nice place to do a little exploring.

9. Rocket Ride
We could barely fit in one rocket–D’s legs were pretty cramped. We went at night, when it looks cooler because it is all lit up. I think the older version was better, though, since you had to go on an elevator to get on.

10. Star Tours
D didn’t put on his seat belt and held up our take-off…hehe.

11. Small World

Oldy but goody. I just noticed there’s another “50”…I’ll add that one to my previous post.

12. Jungle Cruise

Our guide reminded me of one D’s friends, Marko.

13. Honey I Shrunk the Kids
This was the biggest disappointment. See, I used to work at Captain EO, which was replaced by this show. It’s pretty sad to say, but I think Michael Jackson was more entertaining than this one. (Although it would be entirely inappropriate now.) I didn’t even feel the mice!

14. Tiki Room
Go for the Dole Whip.

15. Toon Town
We didn’t go on any rides here, or in Fantasyland. Waay too many kids!

The Fast Passes really helped us cut down on our wait time.